Sugar-dispenser.



.w. A. SMITH & T. L. FLYNN.

SUGAR DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3|. 1914.

1,155,013. PatentedSept. 28, 1915.

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W. A. SMITH 1 T. L. FLYNN.

SUGAR DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, IBM. 1,155,018. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

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A TTORNE YS-r M ,M Y 9 L h F. 1 .H ILSH N fi mmmw H R N 0 m n A I c A U P I P W A Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

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WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

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WALTER A. SMITH AND THOMAS L. FLYNN, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUGAR-DISPENSER.

Application filed July 31, 1914.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER SMITH and Trronms L. F LYNN, both citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Springfield, in the county'of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Sugar-Dispenser, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to devices for delivering sugar in predeterminedamounts or quantities upon the manipulation of a crank or lever and resides in a stationary, conical, sugar container provided with a plurality of receptacles or buckets, each of a size to hold the amount or quantity of sugar required for a delivery, and mounted to rotate intermittently,certain peculiar operating and controlling means'and mechanism for said container, adelivery chute, and such other parts and members as may be requisite foror desirable adjuncts to a complete machine, all as hereinafter 'set forth.

The objects of our invention are, first, to produce a machine, of the class specified above, which is capable of dispensing sugar, either loaf or granulated, in predetermined amounts or quantities with accuracy, certainty and despatch, until the last lump or the last particleof sugar is removed from the container; second, toprovide such a machine with convenient and eihcient mechanism for operating the same; third, to provide the machine with convenient nlling means, and, fourth, so to construct the machine that its contents is fully protected from dust and dirt, and to prevent such contents from bei'ng handled before actual delivery of the same takes place.

This machine is intended more especially for use in public eating houses where open sugar bowls are objectionable for sanitary and other reasons.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description. A preferred form or embodiment of the invention, wherebv we attain the objects and secure the advantages of the same, is'

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and we will proceed to described the invention with reference to said drawings, although it is to be'understood thatthe form, construction, arrangement,etc., of the parts in various aspects are not material and may Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

Serial No. 854,271.

be modified without departure from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, in which like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine as aforesaid; Fig. 2, a central, longitudinal, vertical section through said machine, taken on lines 22, looking in the direction of the associated arrow, in Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a front elevation of said machine, the low position of the operating arm being represented by broken lines; Fig. 4, a front end elevation, without the front plate, the movable parts therein shown being represented by broken lines-in the positions which they occupy when said operating arm is moved down to the endof its active stroke; Fig. 5, a rear end elevation of the container; Fig.

6, an enlarged detail in section of the stop mechanism, taken on lines 6--6, looking in the direction of the associated arrow, in

Fig. 4; Fig. 7, a detail in top plan of parts of the operating mechanism, the fragments of the case members shown being in section; Fig. 8, a front end elevation of the aforepair of front feet 3 and a rear leg 4:. An

annular housing a is mounted securely in a vertical position on. the feet 3, and a some what similar though smaller housing 7 is mounted vertically on the leg l, the proportions of parts being such that the horizontal axes of said housings are in line with each other. vThe front side of the housing 5 is open, and a cover, which may consist of a metal plate 8 and glass plates 9 and 10, is provided with which to close said front side of said housing. The housings 5 and 6 respectively are provided with forwardly extending bearings 11 and 12.

A container for the sugar is mounted to rotate between the housings 5 and 7, such container consisting of a large front end disk 13 provided on the back side with a series of receptacles or buckets 14:, and having a trunnion 15 journaled in the bearing 11, a small rear end disk 16 having a trunnion 17 journaled in the bearing 12, and a hollow connecting truncated cone 18 which constitutes the sides or the horizontal part of said container.

The rear end disk 16 is provided on the back side around the trunnion 17 with a se ries of teeth 19, and a horizontal springpressed pin 20 is arranged in an enlarged part of the bearing 12 to engage said teeth, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The pin 20 has a flange 21 which, with a spring 22, is received in a recess 23 in the aforesaid bearing enlargement. The spring 22 encircles the pin 20, between the flange 21 and a screw plug 24 in the outer end of the recess or pas.-

sage 23, and so forces said pinforivardly or inwardly with its front or inner end in engagement with the teeth 19. The purpose of the pin 20 and the teeth 19 is to steady and regulate the rotary inotion of the conical container and prevent back-lash on the part thereof, hence there should preferably be the. same number of said teeth as there are buckets 14.

The cone 18 has a filling opening 25 therein, and is provided with a conical sleeve 26 which serves as a cover for said opening. A

'serieslof radial screw-threaded posts 27 is set in the cone 18 to project beyond the out sidethereof, and the sleeve 26 has a corresponding number of slots 28 in the large end tov receive said posts whensaid sleeve is pushed forward on said cone to close the opening 25 therein.

Thumb-nuts 29 are placed on the posts 27, and when tightened "on the sleeve 26 hold the same securely in place.

To uncover the opening 25, the thumbnuts 29 isloosened and the sleeve 26 slipped rearwardly, and then, to close said opening, said sleeve is slid forward, care being taken that the slots 28 aline with the posts 27, until the front end of said sleeve contacts with the back side of the housing 5, and said thumbnuts are retightened.

There are in this case eight buckets 14, but this number may vary in different machines, and said buckets are arranged at equal distances from each other around thedisk 13 near the periphery thereof and Within the come 18. Each bucket 14 consists of a side piece which is behind in the direction, of rotation of the container, and of a bottom piece which extends from the end of said side piece that is nearer the axial center of the disk 13.

The side and bottom of each bucket 14 are oblique to the disk 13 and to each other, as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 9, each being shorter at the inner edge than at the edge which oins said disk,'so that the contents of such bucket will of its own weight slideforward' out of the bucket when the latter is at the highest point in the circular path of its travel. An opening 30 is made in the disk 13 directly in front of each bucket. 14, through which the sugar is permitted to escape from the bucket when the delivery.

the housing 0 latter arrives at the high point or place of In order toinsure the complete discharge of the contents of each bucket 14, or to prevent such contents from falling back into the cone 18, the floor of thebucket is arranged obliquely to a radius of the disk 13 drawn from the center of such disk to the angleforined by said floor with the associated side, and by preference the latter is also arranged obliquely to such radius, the slant of the bottoin' being toward the periphery of said disk and that of said side being away from said radius in the direction of rotation. i i

There is a discharge opening 31 in the vertical plate of the housing 5, just below the housing scrape off any sugar thatmay work down between the contacting surfaces and so prevent any accumulation between ried to the opening 31 and discharged there-, through. i

The chute 32 inclines downwardly and away from the vertical center of the housing suchsurf aces thatmight cause the parts to bind, the sugar thus scraped off be ng car- 5 on one side to open at the bottom over a 7 receiver 33 on the base plate 1. The sugar may be discharged intothe receiver 33, or

into the hand held under the discharge end H of the chute 32, or into a cup placed beneath such end of said chute, as desired. A door 34 is provided for the lower end of the chute 32, such door being pivoted at35 to an exterior extension 36 of said chute, and counterweighted at 37. The counterweight 37 makes the door '34 self-closing and retains it closed normally, but does not prevent the door from opening, when a quantity of sugar slides down the chute 32 onto the same, and permitting the sugar to escape.

The chute 32 has a portion of the vertical part of the housing 5 and a part of the eX- tension 38 for the back side, and a portion of the metal plate 8 and another part of said extension for the front side, while the bottom or floor and the top of said chute consist in the main respectively of wide ribs 38 and 39 within said housing, such ribs' extending clear across the space between i said vertical part of the housing and said plate. Still another part of the extension 36 serves as a top element of the chute 32, in connection with the rib 39. A continuation of the rib 38 is represented at 40, the P3111] completing the chute 82 atthe upper our. the junction between the ribs 38 and 40, in a. divergent course to that of saidrib 38. The metal plate .8 is shaped to cover the spaces between the ribs 41, 40, and 39, and the glass plates 9 and 10 respectively cover the spaces located outside of said ribs 41 and 40 and said rib 39, thus rendering said last-mentioned spaces available for advertisnion 15, in front of the bearing 11, is a ratchet-wl'ieel 4.4, and mounted loosely on said trunnion, in front of said ratchet-wheel, isatoothed segment 45. Pivotally attached at 46 on the back side of the segment is an ordinary spring-pressed pawl 47 which engages the teeth on the ratchet-wheel 44.

In Fig. 4 a portion of the segment 45 is broken away toshow a part of the pawl 47 in full. The teeth on the ratchet wheel 44 number the same as the buckets 14, for reasons that will presently appear, if not already obvious. I

a A stud 48 extends into the housing 5 from the back thereof, at the left of the rib.,43, and loosely mounted on said post is asecjond toothed segment 49 which is adapted to engage with and actuate the first, Having one end rigidly attached to the segment49 is an operating lever 50, which extends to the right from said segment. A spring 51 is fastened at one end to the segment 49 and bears at the other end against therib 41, and said spring is arranged and adapted to retain normally said segment with thesegment in initial position, the lever determining such position. by reason of its ongagen'ient at the free end with the rib 38, which. engagement checks the upward movement of said lever, and to return said segment 4.9 with its companion to said position when said lever is released at the end of its down or operative stroke.

An exterior operating arm 52 is provided for the lever 50, such arm having one end rigidly attached by a screw to said lever intermediate of the ends of the latter, such point of attachment being indicated at 54 in Fig. 4, and the arm and lever connections being clearly shown in Fig. 7. The screw 53 passes through and operates in a segmental slot 55 in the plate 8, such slot having the stud 48 for a center, and a seg- A rib 41 extends downwardly, from' with said arm and actuates the segment 49,

against the resiliency of the spring 51, and

said segment in. turn actuates the segment 7 45 and with it, through the medium of the pawl 47, the ratchet-wheel 44, withthe result that the container is given a partial revolution, since said ratchet-wheel is secured to the trunnion 15. Through the medium of the stop means, which will next be described, this partial revolution is oneeighth of a. revolution or equal to thedistance between two adjacent buckets 14, and the arrangement is such that, at the end ofsuch movement. one of said buckets is properly positioned at the opening 31. Upon the release of the handle 57 the spring 51 acts to return the segments together with the lever and arm to initial positions, the pawl 47 riding over the next ratchet-wheel tooth in itspath at this time, so that the container-is left undisturbed, and taking engaging position relative to the next tooth in order. V

It is understood that the pin 20 does not offer suiiicient resistance to interferewith the rotation of the container in the manner and by the means described above, but does afford the required amount of resistance to hold said container against rotary motion or movement between the periods of positive rotation thereofby the arm 52 and connected parts when said arm is carried down for that purpose.

Ha'ving special reference to Figs. 4, 6 and 8, itwill be observed that the disk 13 has an annular groove 58 in the front face. or side ashort distance in from the periphery thereof, and that there are eight pins 59 set in said groove at equal distances from each other, and it will be observed, furthermore, that a horizontal pin 60, provided at the front end with a head 61, is located in the bottom part of the housing 5 in line with said groove, a passage (32 being made in an enlargedor thickened part of said housing to receive said pin and a spring 63. The spring 53 encircles the pin 60 between a flange 64 thereon just back of the head 61 and the shoulder formed by the constricted part of the passage 62 at the rear endwhere said passage opens adjacent to the groove 58, and thus said spring normally forces said pin forward out of the path of the pins 59 and with said head in the path of the free terminal portion of the lever 50. The lower edge of the head 61 may bear on the bottom of the housing 5 and thusbeprevented from turning, and the forward thrustof the pin 'with said head, under the influence of the spring 63, is liinited'by theplate 8. The curved'portion of the edge of the head 61 is beveled, as shown at (35, so also is the con tacting portion of the lever 50, as shown at 66, in Fig. 6. I

From the foregoing it is clear that, when the lever 50 ismoved downward, said lever encounters near the endof the down stroke thehead .61, owing to the position of the parts, and that, when such encounter takes place, the beveled surfaces 66 and come into contact and said head and the pin 60 are forced rearwardly, against the resiliency of the spring 63, far enough to locate the back end of said pin in the path of the next adjacent pin 59 advanced by the very act of depressing said lever. As soon as the aforesaid pin 59 strikes the end of the pin 60 which is in the groove 58 the movement of the container is thereby caused to cease, said. container being thus stopped'when one of the buckets 14 or the opening 30 associated therewith is in exact registry with the opening 31, by reason of the relation of parts involved in producing such result. Upon the release of the lever 50 to the action of the spring 51, said lever rises and releases the head 61 and the pin 60 to the spring 63, and

said pin. is instantly withdrawn from the groove 58, thus leaving the container free or its path clear for the next eighth of a revolution, near the end of which said pin is again thrust into the path of the next advancing pin 59. In this way the container is stopped eight times in a complete revolution and each timepresents a bucket 14 at the opening 31 in position to discharge its contents into the chute 32.

The operation of the machineas awhole will be very well understood from the foregoing, so that the following brief recapitulation is all that need be added in relation thereto. After the container receives its supply of sugar through the opening 25, such opening being uncovered and again covered in the manner previously explained,

the machine is ready for use. Then, whenever a quantity ofsugar is required, the op orator-simply presses down the arm 52, and the sugar is delivered immediately through the chute 32, the resulting delivery being brought about by the action produced by the lever 50, through the medium of the intern eshing segments and pawl and ratchet mechanism, on the container, and by the action produced by said lever on the stop pin 60. In this connection see dotted lines in Fig. 4. The arm 52 is then released or moved upward to reset the actuating parts and members and to permit the pin 60 to re lease the container.

These operations are repeated each time a quantity of sugar is requiredand until the container is empty.

It will be readily understood that, as the container is rotated, the contents thereto tends constantly to gravitate toward the larger end of the cone 18, where the buckets let are located, and that such contents must all sooner or later enter said buckets and be removed thereby from the'container. This is an'important and valuable feature of our invention, because it is undesirable in asugar dispenser to have sugar left in any part thereof for a long time, or to have, rather, any part in which sugar can be left, provided the device he used, and it is also very desirable that the whole mass of sugar be frequently agitatedand moved about, as in our machine.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sugar dispenser comprising a conical container rotatable on a horizontal axis and provided inside against the vertical wall at the large end with a receptacle, such wall having an opening therein between the axial center and periphery thereof and at the edge of which said receptacle is located, and a delivery member, outside of said wall but adjacent to the outer surface thereof with which said receptacle is adapted to be brought into communication through said opening.-

2. A sugar dispenser comprising a conical container rotatable on a horizontal axis and provided inside against the vertical wall at the large end with receptacles, such wall having openings therein between the axial center and periphery thereof and at the 'edges of which said receptacles are arranged, an exterior delivery member with which said receptacles are adapted to be brought sequentially into communication through said openings, said delivery member being adjacent to the outer surface of said wall, and means to rotate said container intermittently. l

3. A sugar dispenser comprising a conical container rotatable on a horizontal axis and provided inside against the vertical wall at the large end with receptacles, such wall having openings therein between the axial center and the periphery thereof and at the edges of which said receptacles are arranged, an exterior delivery member with which said receptacles are adapted to be brought sequentially into communication through said openings, said delivery member being adjacent to the outer surface of said wall, means to rotate said container intermittently, and'means to prevent said container from being rotated except in one direction,

1. A sugar dispenser comprising a conica container rotatable on a horizontal axis and provided inside against the vertical wall atthe large end with receptacles, such wall having openings therein between the axial center and the periphery thereof and at the edges of which said. receptacles. are ar-. ranged, an exterior delivery member with which said receptacles are adapted to be brought sequentially into communication through said openings, said delivery member being adjacent to the outer surface of said wall, means to rotate said container, and means to hold said container at whatever point in its rotation it may be left by said rotating means.

5. In a sugar dispenser, a container rotatable on a horizontal axis, and provided inside against the vertical ,wall at one end with a receptacle Whichconsists of a bottom member and a side member only, such wall having an opening therein between the axial center .and the periphery thereofand at the edge of which said receptacle is located. v

6. In a sugar dispenser,,,arotatable container provided inside against the vertical wall at one end with a receptacle, such wall having an opening therein between the axial center and the periphery thereof and at the edge of which such receptacle is located, the latter consisting inpart of a bottom member that inclines downward toward the end opening, when said receptacle is in delivery position.

7. In a sugar dispenser, a rotatable-com tainer provided inside against the vertical wall at one end with a receptacle, such wall having an opening therein between the axial center and the periphery thereof and at the edge of which such receptacle is located, the latter consisting of an inclined side mem her and an inclined bottom member which project partly over said. opening behind.

8. Ina sugar dispenser, a conical container having a filling opening in the conical part thereof, and provided with a post, a conical sleeve mounted to slide endwise on said conical part and slotted in its large end to receive said post,and a fastening member on said post.

9. The combination, in a sugar dispenser, with front and rear end supporting members, a chute, in said front-end member, opening through the back side, of the same, and a rotatable conical container mounted between said end members with the large end at the front and in contact with said back side, said end having openings therein, and interior buckets arranged on said end at the edgesof said openings and opening therethrough, said container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said back side, of mechanism in'saidfront-end member to rotate said container intermittently. I p,

10. The combination, in asugar dispenser, with front and rear end supporting members, a chute, in said front-end member, opening through the backside of the same, and a rotatable, conical container ;mount ed between said end members with the large end at the front and in contact with said back side, said end having openings therein, and interior buckets arranged on said end at the edges of said openings and opening therethrough, said container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said back side, of mechanism in said front-end member, to rotate said container intermittently, and means in said rear-end supporting member to hold said retainer in whatever position it may be left by said mechanism. 4

11. The combination, in a sugar dispenser, with front and rear end supporting members, a chute, in said front-end member, opening through the back side thereof, and a rotatable conical container mounted between said end members, with the large end at the front and in contact with said back side, said end having openings therein, and interior buckets arranged on said end at the edges of said openings and opening therethrough, said container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said back side, of mechanism in said frontend member to actuate said container through tween said end members, with the large end at the front and in contact with said back side, said end having openings therein, and interior buckets arranged on said end at the edges of said openings and opening therethrough, said container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said back side, of mechanism in said front-end member toactuate said container through an arc of a circle equal to the distance between two of said buckets, and to. stop the container when one of said buckets is in delivery position relative to said chute, and means in said rear-end supporting member to prevent backlash on the part of the container.

13. The combination, in a sugar dispenser, with front and rear end supporting members, and a chute, in said front-end member, opening through the back side thereof, of a rotatable conical container mounted between said members, with the large end at the front, said container having an axial member that projects through said back side of said frontend member, and is providedv with a ratchet-wheel, interior buckets at the front end of said container, said end having openings therein at the edges of 1Wl1l0lISfl1Cl buckets are arranged, andsald container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said front-end supporting member,a toothed segment mounted on said axial member and provided with a pawl for said ratchet-' wheel, a second toothed segment mounted in saidfront-end supporting member to engage the first, and, an operating lever for said second segment;

14. The combination, in'a sugar dispenser, with a front-end-housing, a chute in said housing, such chute opening through the back side of said housing, and a rear-end support, of a rotatable'conical container mounted betweensaid housing and said sup-' port, with the large end contiguous tothe backnofsaid housing and having openings therein, said, container being provided with interior buckets at the front end, which buckets are arranged at the edges" of said container openings, and the latter are adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in the, back side of said housing, stop pins set inthe front end of saidcontainer, ratchet meehanismin'said housing for rotating said container, such mechanism consisting in part of a lever, and a movable member located in the path of said lever and adapted to be thrust by said lever into the path of any one of said stop pins.

15. The combination, in a sugar dispenser, With a front-end housing,a chute, in said housing, opening through the back side of the housing, and a rear-end support, of a rotatable conical container mounted between said housing and said support, with the large end against the back of said housing and having an annular, groove in the face thereof that contacts with said housing, stop pins set in said groove, interior buckets at said'large end, the latter having openings therein at the edges of which said buckets are arranged, and said container, openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in the back side of said housing, ratchetmechanism in said housing for rotating said container, such mechanism consisting in part of a lever, and a movable member located in the path of said lever and adapted tobe thrust by said lever into said groove and the path of an approaching stop pin.

16. The combination, in a sugar dispenser, with a front-end support having an opening therein, and arear-end support, of a rotatable conical container mounted between said supports, with the large end contiguous to said front-end support, said end having openings therein, buckets arranged at the edges of said openings, on said large end, and opening through-the same, said con tainer openings being adapted to be brought a into registry with said opening in said front-end support, andmeans to rotate said container and position said buckets, one

after another, at said front-end support openin r p 17 The combination, in a sugar dispenser, with a front-end support having an opening therein, and a rear-end housing, of arotatable conical" container mounted between said supportand said housing, with the large end contiguous to said support, said end having openings therein, buckets arranged at the edges of said openings, on said large end, and opening through the same, said container openings being adapted to be brought into registry with the opening in said support, means to rotate said container and position said buckets sequentially at said support op'ening,,and holding means for said container, such means comprising a spring-pressed member and engaging teeth at the end of said container which is supported by said housing. 7 V

18. Thecombination, ina sugar dispenser, with a front-end housing having a, front with a slot therein, a chute in said housing, which chute opens through the back side thereof, and a back-end support, of a rotatable conical container mounted between said housing and said support, with its large end contiguous to said housing, said end having openings therein, and said container being provided with buckets which are arranged at the edges of said openings, the latter being adapted to be brought into agreement with the opening in the back side of said housing, actuating mechanism in said housing for said container, such mechanism consisting in part of a lever, an exterior arm, and a connection between said lever and arm, such connection passing through and operating in said slot.

19. The combination, in a sugar dispenser,

with a front-end housing having a front with the opening in the back of said hous-r.

ing, actuating mechanism in said housing for said container, such mechanism consisting in part of a lever, an exterior arm and cover member, and a connection between said lever and arm, such connection passing throughand operating in said slot, and said cover member always being over said slot regardless of the position of said connection therein.

i 20. In a sugar dispcnser, a housing divided by ribs into a delivery chuteand a compartment, operating mechanism in said such container being operated by said mechcompartment, a cover adapted to close the anlsm.

front of said housing, but having transpar- WALTER A. SMITH. ent parts to aflord a View of the portions of THOMAS L. FLYNN. the interior of said housing that are outside of said chute and compartment, and a mo-v- Vitnesses:

able container behind said housing and in F. A. CUTTER,

operative position relative to said chute, A. C. FAIRBANKS.

Copies 0|. this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

